9 years ago - 25-year-old David's father Ted Knight is diagnosed with cancer, which leads to a breakthrough in his research. Bathed in quantum energy, David converts his biomass to living cosmic energy, becoming the new Starman.

The name "Starman" is actually one of the most expansive legacies in DC comics. No fewer than TEN different characters have used the name, and several of them are actually really important to the overall history of the DC universe. Our goal was to focus on the most important versions of Starman, and to find a way to make each new iteration visually and creatively distinct while still making sure we honor the overall history of the name. To that end, we've created five different heroes that use the name, each from a different era. Some of them are directly from the comics, others are amalgams of more than one version of Starman.

In this case we've combined the characters David Knight and Will Payton. David was the son of the original Starman Ted Knight, and essentially wore the same costume in a direct homage to his father. Will Payton was an entirely new hero with new powers who simply used the same name; he's a fairly obvious pastiche of then-popular Marvel character Wonder Man. We've used Will's look and powers, but David Knight's place as a legacy hero; the son of the original Ted Knight. He's actually going to be a member of the Justice League, and his death is going to be the narrative fuel that leads to the career of one of the most popular versions of Starman; his brother, Jack Knight.

(This) Starman's Comic History

Will Payton appeared for the first time in 1988 as the main character of a new ongoing series, designed to be an entirely original character using the name of a classic DC hero. The book ran from 1988 to 1992, and he was a major player in the landscape of DC for a good long while. Meanwhile, David Knight first showed up within the pages of the same comic, the son of the original hero using the same costume and equipment.

Like most versions of Starman, both characters had their overall legacy defined in the pages of Starman Vol 2 by James Robinson, one of the best ongoing superhero comics ever written. Robinson's book revolved around Jack Knight, David's younger brother. It established that David had been killed, providing the catalyst for his little brother to take up the family's heroic legacy. Payton also had his eventual fate redefined, combining him with another variant Starman character, the alien hero Prince Gavyn.

Our Starman Story

While the most important versions of the Knight families Starman legacy are Ted and Jack, David still has an important role to play. Without his certainty of his role as a hero and his dedication to the family business, Jack would never really find his own motivation to take up the Star Rod. So it was very important that we include David in our story... but we didn't really want to use a character that was just a replica of the original.

Using Will's powers and look actually makes our version of David a solid departure from his father and brother. It absolutely works as part of our larger story; Our version of Ted Knight's Star-Rod is a human replica of a piece of alien technology, and it absolutely works to imagine that David's research into that technology would lead to him absorbing it's powers.

He exists during an ideal period to be included in the Justice League. He's a character that firmly believed that being a superhero was a duty he was honored to fulfill, and this role makes absolute sense for him.